That’s what I bought…
With the issues I have with my knees (slight case of arthritis in both), walking and jogging has its limitations. Swimming would be great, but a pool is a bit out of our budget 🙂 So the doc also recommended bicycle riding.
Last year, I bought a department store special. I did that because I didn’t know if I would enjoy riding enough to ride often. And why invest several hundred dollars (or more) on a bicycle that would just sit there? My wife would have smacked me upside my head 🙂
So, with my $180 special I found that I enjoyed riding and rode very often (several times per week). We have a nice paved bike trail (The Heritage Trail) that is only 1.5 miles from my front door. But within two months, I noticed a bit of a grinding noise when I would pedal. The bearings were already going.
So, I finished out the season riding it this way. It still works, but now it’s better for some leisurely riding – not workout riding.
Last month I did some research on road bicycles. I didn’t realize how many types, styles, manufacturers etc. there were out there! It was confusing, looking at all these bicycles! So I visited our local bike shop, Joe Fix Its in Monroe and Goshen NY. A young man in the store was extremely helpful in educating me on the different bikes, the differences in the price ranges and what would work best for me. I have to say that not only did he NOT try to sell me the most expensive bike, he actually discouraged me from those, saying for beginning or non competitive riders, those were not necessary! Very nice…
So, along comes our tax return check, and like a kid in a candy store I make my way to the Goshen store (more bikes in that one). I got with the same kid (Scott) and he pulled out a few bikes for me to test ride. I rode the Defy, one by Specialized and one by Fuji. Interestingly, I found the Giant to be the most comfortable, and it urns out it was the cheapest of the 3. Nice surprise there. And – it was also on sale!
So I took that one, grabbed a few accessories (computer, water bottle, riding pants), paid and came home.
So I couldn’t resist. I have to go out for the maiden ride. Wasn’t a long one – only eight miles. I had not ridden since last September so I didn’t want to over do it 🙂
I have to say – what a difference over my $180 special. Very smooth ride, the gears shift like a dream, and the model I got has composite forks, which help with absorption of the bumps, etc. You can get all the specs here.
I think I will be putting on a lot of miles this summer!
